


Keep Her Secret

by AEM888



Category: GOT7
Genre: Also drama, F/M, Humans Suck, Humans are endangered and evil, Hybrid AU, Hybrid kill humans, Hybrids hate humans after what they were put through, Might be considered a slow burn, PTSD may pop by every now and again, and the world is practically dead, dystopian au, future violence, listen hybrids have/had it rough, romance though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-04-14 00:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14124105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AEM888/pseuds/AEM888
Summary: Technology had advanced to the point it sent the world into collapse.  With the experimentation of human hybrids succeeding, and with success, they grew in numbers and eventually revolted against their creators, pure humans, and now in a broken, destroyed world, Hybrids are the majority of the world’s population. Pure bread humans were hated, enemy #1, by Hybrid standards. Mark, a coyote hybrid, had fallen in love with a girl he met in his early teens, deeming her his- or more specifically his mate.  He had a secret though, he had been lying to her, her whole life, telling her she was a hybrid like him, when she was truly a pure human he’s been protecting for as long as she could remember with a long, serve term case of amnesia.He’d do anything to keep you safe and to keep your secret a secret from everyone, even yourself.





	1. 00 - Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted on my Tumblr blog
> 
> Check it out: https://kpopisthereasonihavenolife.tumblr.com/

He could remember the first time he opened his eyes.  He was floating, and he couldn’t breath.  When he opened his mouth, only bubbled flew out of him, bubbles of air that he need.  He desperately tried to reach out, almost ready to grab them and shove them back into his mouth that was now flooded with water.  

He couldn’t breath.  He flailed and screamed, his screams muffled by the liquid that encased him and robbed him of his breath he so desperately needed.  His vision was blurry and he saw only the color yellow.  He didn’t know where he was, or how he got here.  

Who was he, did he have a name, a reason why he opened his eyes only to feel like he was drowning?  

The suffering stopped for a moment when something had pulled on his arm, pulling him up and suddenly his mouth was free of water and his lung burned with the sudden rush of air he was finally about to access.  

He coughed, and hacked and soon was pulled out of whatever he was previously in and then put onto the hard, cold floor.  his entire body was shaking, and was no bigger than the size of a 7 year old boy.  He cracked open his eyes, breathing harsh as his coughing fit calmed.  His body was bare, naked and laying on his chest on this strange, unfamiliar floor. 

He had goosebumps running up his body, and his body racked with tremors, yet he wasn’t cold.  He didn’t feel cold, almost like he had this invisible blanket covering his body.  He head noise, and his head rose to see the blurry outlines of taller figures.  Were they like him? 

Running back and forth, all clad in white, before one of them grabbed, him forcing him up and moving him.  His legs were wobbly, not sure how to use them yet, like they hadn’t been used before, or at the very least, in a very long time.  

He was forced into a chair, as he felt something thrown on his lap to cover him, and then pressure on his rests and ankles.  He wanted to know what they were, what was on him, but when he tried to find out, he was stopped.  He couldn’t move this arms, couldn’t move his legs.  

This is when panic started to set in.  His breath quickened and he was finally able to process that if he screamed now, it wouldn’t be muffled.  So, he did.  He screamed, and maybe even screamed out words, but he couldn’t tell.  He hardly heard himself over his mind screaming louder than his voice.  

Just what was going on? Why did he know so much about what might be going on around him, or how to do tasks he didn’t remember doing, like talking, walking, scream?  Yet, he couldn’t even remember who he was.  

It was like that for days.  Screaming, being put in tanks of liquid, bound into a chair, pulled onto that same, cold tile floor to hack and cough his lungs out.  It was the same damn thing every day.  Yet, through those days, he started to learn.  

He learned that humans were the ones doing this to him.  Humans were the one who were making him scream until his voice stopped. Making his lungs burn and beg for air when he was submerged in those god-awful tanks of whatever substance was inside.  Humans were the ones responsible for his suffering.  

They called him Mark.  He didn’t know why they did, perhaps because that was his name before he forgot?  Or maybe it was because he was yet another mark in history, as they would say on occasion.  But, whatever the reason, that’s all he knew he went by.  So it stuck.  He was Mark.  Just Mark.  

However, he always heard all of the humans call each other by many names.  Apparently, they had 2 names when they’re born.  He didn’t know, but he didn’t want just one name.  So he name his own second one, a secret last name that he didn’t tell anyone.  

There was one more thing he knew.  He knew this for certain.  He wasn’t like the humans.  He was a victim, they were the villain.  There was something about him that was different, whether it be when he felt like he had claws or fangs, or if he felt like he could hear the oceans roaring waves from wherever he was. 

Whatever the reason, Mark Tuan, knew he wasn’t human.  He knew that what the humans called him wasn’t human.  He knew that the fact he felt like an animal wasn’t human. 

Mark Tuan knew that he was a hybrid.  

But he didn’t know that his story had started with that one, sudden realization.  


	2. 01

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He found a human laying in a heep of rubble, right out in the open. Dangerous and stupid. However, unlike other human’s he’s encountered before, the first thing he wanted to do was help this human. Not kill her.

How did the world end up like this?  What it because of man’s greed?  Because of our constant need to have a goal, our constant want of progression? Was it because we finally dug too deep, we hit the rock bottom everyone always talked about and now we’re stuck with no way out and death staring down our deep, deep hole like a human staring at an insect?  You didn’t know, in fact you didn’t know  _anything_.

Just what was this world like before it was like this.  This awful world with air so thick, so dense, so clouded and gray it was like breathing in fire smoke. What was it like when the sky wasn’t covered in a dark, depressing overcast?  What were the building like when they were ruined, broken, dilapidated and crumbling like legos?  Was the grass suppose to be grey? Tan? Dead? You didn’t know anything.  

You didn’t even know where you were, who you were?  Just who are you?  What’s your name?  Your age?  Were you in danger, did you have a family, friends?  A place to go to?  You had no idea.  

You didn’t know anything, couldn’t remember anything.  The only thing you could remember is when he showed up.  Out of seemingly nowhere, he just showed up out of the blue.  You didn’t know him, but somehow you just felt like he knew you.  

* * *

 

He had caught onto the scent of a human, a pure human.  His heightened senses of his coyote DNA ruining through his body drew him to it, his light colored fur moving in contrast to the dark world.  However, unlike if he was locking onto a standard human, ready to rip their throat out, this scent almost seemed like he wasn’t supposed to attack whoever it belonged to.

He moved swiftly through the rubble of, what use to be, the middle of a fruitful city. In his form of the coyote he shared his blood with, it was much easier to move around, hunt, live really.  But, when he perched on top of a large piece of a building that gave him a higher view of his surroundings, he saw you.  

His canine eyes narrowed as he watched you look around.  You sat on the ground, rubble and dust all around you.  You held your leg, as he could faintly smell the blood on you.  You kept whipping your head around, back and forth, behind you, even above you.  Just what were you, a simple human, doing?  Perhaps, you were hoping no hybrid would catch your bloody scent that was so tempting to his kind.  

However, it didn’t seem like you were frightened, but rather, you seemed to be looking around in confusion.  Almost seeking answers, anything.  He moved down from the piece of debris and under the shade of a large piece of, yet more, destruction, he emerged in his human form.  

He was still young, only 18, but his blood as a hybrid helped his mind mature faster than his body and he knew right from wrong, enemy from friend and most importantly, he knew how to survive.  His blonde hair shone, almost like the sun he had only seen once in his entire life, before the eternal cloud took over the skies.  His skin, a pale color that once use to be a honey color but the lack of sun had diminished it.  His eyes, fading from their canine gold to their brown of his human form.  A pair of ripped jeans, worn shoes, t-shirt that he pulled from from random line that was in decent shape and a jean jacket that has seen more than your average inanimate object.  

You definitely weren’t a hybrid, you would have heard, or at least smelt his scent by now if you were.  Granted, there were many kinds of hybrids.  Some could shift into animal forms to human forms like himself.  Other have only their human forms with their identities as hybrids attached to them permanently with a set of ears, or a tail, maybe scales or claws in some cases.  Others looked completely human, but their senses, as well as their ability to communicate with other animals or non-human species, was proof enough to deduce they were indeed, not human.  

You however, were just a simple human.  Pure, born and bred in the world.  There were very few of your kind left, either killed from sickness, injury, being stuck in the wrong situation at the wrong time or murdered by hybrids.  

Hybrids despised humans.  They were literally the bane of their existence, if humans weren’t such foolish, greedy creatures, then hybrids wouldn’t have been created.  If they hadn’t been so power seeking, then their future wouldn’t have vanished from their fingertips like a feather being ripping from their grasp in the wind.  

They’re foolish.  They think that if one day they were to vanish, the world would stop turning.  A blind, foolish, naive race humans were.  Even if every human should vanish off the planet, even if everything on the planet died and it became a solitary rock, floating in space, it would still revolve around the hidden sun, still rotate between day and night.  

Humans were not the reason the earth moved; they were not the essence of its constant revolutions, even if they thought they were.  

Mark had killed human’s before.  Without thought, without reason, just simply because they were human.  He was ready to do the same to you, but it was like his body, his own blood was stopping him.  Why wouldn’t his mind let him picture a near future image with your bloody, battered corpse at his feet?  He’d done it to countless others, so why not you?  

Honestly speaking, the usually sweet scent of blood that he got from humans, almost made his stomach turn.  Your blood was sweet in scent, no doubt, but just thinking about how it could be spilled on his hands, or pooling around his feet, it made him feel sick.  It wasn’t natural; it didn’t make sense.  

It didn’t make sense until you finally noticed his figure, 20 feet away, hiding under a shadow.  Your eyes locked with his, and his heart seemed to jump.  His eyes widened just a fraction at the sight of you, the sight of your eyes, your nose, lips, ears.  He wasn’t even close to you, yet for some reason, the faint outline he could see of your face, it lured him in.  

He had started to think about a possibility.  A reason why his body didn’t let him think about what he wanted to think about, why his stomach churned at the sight of your blood, why his eyes couldn’t be torn away from yours.  It was a small possibility, but as his feet started to bring him closer to you, it grew more and more.  

All it would take is a touch, if he just touched you once, even just barely, he’d know for sure.  

You watched, sitting and pushing your hands on your still slowly bleeding wound, as this mysterious man came closer to you.  You didn’t know where he came from, but he didn’t look much other than yourself.  Maybe he had some answers, answers to anything.  Something to tell you that could set you straight, set you on a path on what to do, where to go.  

He came within 3 feet of you, standing in front of you, looking down.  You stared up at him. Neither of you spoke, could you even speak?  Once again, you didn’t remember.  

“What are you doing here?” His voice startled you, as you were trying to recall how to speak.  Did it take effort, was it hard to do?  When he noticed your eyes shaking eyes, he bent his knees to get eye level with you, even if he didn’t come any closer.  His arms rested on his knees as you opened and shut your mouth a few times.  

“Can you speak?”  He hadn’t encountered a human who couldn’t speak before, but he had heard they existed.  They’re hard to find now, but by the way your breathing was slightly raspy, he figured your body had just woken up.  Had you really been unconscious out here; out in the open?

He moved closer to you, and then shifted behind you.  You watched as he moved to kneel behind your back before he started to lightly pound behind your shoulder blades.  Soon, you were forcing out dry, harsh coughs as Mark unconsciously rubbed your back.  

The touch of his bare hand on your clothes back almost made him flinch.  His hand felt like if he was touching your skin, it would burst into flames.  It was a sign, a sign he had heard of, but didn’t really believe in.  But now, he was almost being forced to believe it, and in such an unbelievable scenario.

“Thank.. you.”  Your voice was rough as you finally seemed to recall how to speak.  Your voice was contagious.  Mark was a quiet person himself, but if when he spoke, you spoke back, he wouldn’t mind changing.  

“Are you alright?” You nodded.  “What happened to your leg?”  You looked to the wound on your knee, as you shook your head.

“I.. don’t know.  I don’t remember.”  Mark moved to just be in your peripheral vision as you looked at the dusty, rocky ground beneath you.  Your jeans that were probably once very nice, were now torn and ripped, one pant leg torn from the knee down and the other still in tact, but had holes.  Your shirt, use to be long sleeved, but now the sleeves were torn at different lengths and the once comfortable U-neck had stretched out to show more than your fair share of your chest.  If the wind blew just right, Mark could catch a glimpse of your dirty, worn bra, but he didn’t.  

He was a Hybrid, not a scumbag.

“So, what  _do_ you remember?”  

“That I can talk….”  Mark furrowed his brows.

“So, you mean.. You can’t remember anything else?”  You shook your head. “Do you even know your name?”  You shook it again.  

“I don’t know anything.  Can you…” you lifted your head to look at him and grabbed his free hand, your pleading eyes looking at his.  His hand felt like it was on fire, burning from your bare, skin to skin, touch.  Your eyes were confused, lost yet he could see a small light burning in the center of your pupils, the same burning like that was in his.  With that one touch, with that one look, he was certain now.  

“Can you give me answers? Please….” 

He was being forced into a situation he didn’t think was possible, and yet here he was. You were human, and yet, somehow, you were his. It’s not unnatural for canine’s, or any living organism, to have a partner- a mate.  

Mark, a created specimen grown and raised for years in a scientific lab, had just found the mark of his mate in a human set of eyes. Each mate mark is different for every species and for him, it was the fire in their eyes, in  _your_ eyes.  

Even if he never expected this and almost didn’t want to believe it, he was ready to do anything to keep you alive; anything to keep you safe.  

_Even lie._   


	3. 02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lies he started were no where near the truth of your life that had just dropped into his own and he knew nothing about; however, to someone like you, who knew nothing about anything, his lies were the fabrication of your entirely new world.

“I wish you remembered…” His voice was low, but not out of sincerity.  He thought at the same time he spoke.  Without showing his mind on his tongue, he started.  The first lie.  You looked at him, the glaze over his eyes, you didn’t know what it meant.

“Did I.. know you?”  He put the look of hurt in his eyes for you to see, and you slightly flinched at it.  He acted like you truly hurt him.  He sucked his lip between his teeth and hissed almost silently as he moved to sit directly on his rear in front of you.  He even fiddled with his fingers in front of him, picking at his nails.  

“Did?”  He spoke it softly, as if the past tense hurt his very core.  “You do know me.  And I know you. Why.. What- what happened to make you forget everything?  Forget me?” He slightly noticed from the faint shadow of yours that you raised your arm, probably to try and reach out to him to console him.  But you stopped and just thought, wondering that what if you were doing was right.  

“I.. I’m sorry. I really wish you wouldn’t look so sad.”  So, you did believe him.  

“I can’t help it.  What am I supposed to do if you can’t remember me, Y/N.”  A name, he just thought of one and quickly rolled it off his tongue in hopes of making it sound natural.  Sound like your name, the one you had forgotten and the one he didn’t know.  He looked up at you briefly through his blonde bangs and watched your eyes widen a fraction at the mention of a name.  

“Y/N..” You lowly repeated. “Is that- is that my name?”  He scoffed lightly, as if he was put in a scenario he didn’t want to believe, then he nodded.  “I see, it’s a nice name.”   It was then that he put more into his act.  His blood was screaming at him, he wanted to at least touch you, so he reached out, gently grabbing your hand, adding just a dash of desperation in his touch.  

“I love your name.”  He fiddled with your fingers, watching as they moved up and down and returned to their natural position as they were dropped.  Humans felt so fragile, so breakable, and he was terrified of the thought of you just shattering in his palms.  A feeling he’s unfamiliar with, but not uncomfortable with feeling towards you particularly. 

“I’m just glad your safe.  I’ve been looking for you for so long, ever since you disappeared and we had to separate after being attacked by the humans, I’ve been scared I wouldn’t see you again.”  A lie.

“Humans? attacked?  Are you, not human then?”  He looked at you, more fake hurt in his eyes.  His grip on your hand tightened just enough to compliment his eyes.  

“ _We’re_  not human. We’ve  _never_ been human, Y/N.”  You looked more and more confused, and even scared.  Who wouldn’t be?  You were an amnesiac human with no memories at all and he was telling you weren’t human.  

“We’re both Hybrids.  We were created in human laboratories years ago.  They were horrible, humans are sick, disgusting creatures who know nothing, but greed and their lust for knowledge. That, however, is what lead to their eventual downfall.”  He wasn’t completely lying then, the only lie was every ‘we’ that left his lips.

“We Hybrids are a mixed breed of human and animal DNA.  We were created with human like bodies and fused with the DNA and traits of other species.  Some are created with birds, others reptiles, some mammals and even sea creatures.  It varied from each scientist’s point of view.”  His mind started to wonder to when he was created and the moment he woke up. All the suffering and ‘tests’ he was forced to endure, only fueling his hate for the pure breeds.

“They were cruel. They’d subject us to tests,one  in which harmed us, threatened us and even killed some of us.  Just to shrug off the death count and write on a stupid piece of paper only for it all to happen again.”  He looked at you.  “We’re both fused with the DNA of a coyote, an animal native in North America.  I can change into the form of my animal counterpart, and have sharper senses and instincts than others.  But you…”  He swallowed as if he was in pain thinking or ‘remembering’ something.  

“They had run tests on you too much, so much your body had found a way to malfunction.  You were on the verge of death.  They had successfully revived you, but you had permanent damage done to you.  You senses were killed and you can no longer access the part of your brain that allowed you to change.  You’re stuck, forced to live like a human, all because they put you through so much.”  

He looked at you, and saw the hurt and confusion and pain in your eyes.  Part of him felt guilty. So many lies were coming from his mind out of his lips that flowed harshly into your head, but he had to do it.  If he kept this lie and ran it over and over in his mind, it’d be easier for you to believe, and with this information, he could convince other Hybrids you were one of them that the humans had corrupted.  

With these lies, he’d find a way to keep you safe.  After a moment, he took a breath and continued.  

“Then, one day, we fought back.  The hybrids of the lab we were in had fought back, revolting against our tormentors and somehow we won.  We fought and fought and then we were free.  Then we ran.  Soon, it was like that all over the country, then continent, and now, I bet the entire world is devastated.”  He looked at the permanently clouded sky.

“It’s been years since that day, and humans are a rare sight these days.  It wasn’t too long ago when a surprise group came and tried to attack a hybrid pack that you and I were with at the time.  We all had to split up, and you had to run from me to stay safe, and so you did.”  He stopped, swallowing like he was ready to cry.  Gripping you hand again, he brought it to his forehead, the warmth seeming to pass through his head to his entire body.

“I was so scared.  You’re a defective Hybrid to them, so when I found out the humans got you, I was terrified.  Terrified that you may have been killed for what they did to you to make you like this.  I don’t know what I would have done if you had been killed.  If I had found you and you never opened your eyes again.”  A few stray tears had escaped his eyes after he produced them with ease.  

Then he stopped talking.  One, to rerun all the information in his head to always keep his story straight and two, because you had moved to lean forward and use your free arm to wrap around his shoulders.  Your shoulder found its place under his nose, pushing just against his chin as he pushed back into you.

Your scent wafted into his nose as he seemed to relax at your touch.  It was warm, comforting and undeniably something he knew he needed.  Wanted. Yearned for.  He had heard mates were a powerful force, but he never expected himself to feel like if you were to reject him, he would feel empty, hallow even.  He felt complete with you with him like this, and he had only truly met you not 20 minutes ago.

He wasn’t your friend since ‘birth’.  He didn’t know your name, and it wasn’t Y/N, unless his random quip just played right with the universe; which is positively unlikely.  He didn’t even know if you had a family or friends that might one day run into you and ruin everything he just set into place.  All his lies were just strings, thin as a spider’s web that stuck to the rubble around the two of you.  

Anything around him that unexpectedly falls onto or into his web of lies, was liable to completely tear them apart.  And if his lies faded, your presence would too.  He sat in your embrace and almost pulled you back to him when you distanced yourself slightly.  You looked at him, searching for his pain that you tried to ease with your body.  It seemed like he hurt less now, so maybe you did do something right in your cloud-filled, memory-less mind.

“Your name?” You spoke softly to him.  Oh, right.  You had no idea what his name was, memory or not.  “I’m sorry, but I just.. I don’t know your name, or rather, I guess I don’t remember it.”  You tried to look anywhere, but him.  The feeling of guilt hitting you, his evidence that his lies were solid; believable.  He shook his head as he used one of his hands to hook under your chin slightly, bringing you to look at him.  

He pushed a small smile on his face, like one a human would make when they can come to terms with something and saw the ‘light’ in a dark situation.  

“Mark.”  Your eyes lit up at his slight smile and his name.  “My name is Mark.”  He cleared his throat just barely.  He knew that was one last thing he had to take care of to make sure you stayed with him, one important thing he knew he had to make clear to you.  “Look, Y/N, I know you don’t remember, but there is something you need to know. About you, and about me.  About why the humans tried to separate us.”  He looked down.

“Mark?”  He wanted to growl at the sound of his name coming from you.  This mate thing was much more powerful than anything he thought possible.  If anything, he waited just a bit longer, seemingly lost in thought, just so you’d call to him again.  “Mark?” You spoke again, making him look at you once more.

“Y/N, you and I… we’re mates.”  Your dirt covered cheeks tinted with the red of your human blood and was visible even under the dirt on you.  He chuckled slightly, wiping some off with his thumb.   “There’s no need to be so embarrassed you know.”  

“I know, it’s just.. Well, when you don’t remember anything, and then suddenly you have a-a mate…” you voice dissolved into an embarrassed whine as Mark chuckled at you again, only to lightly push his lips to your cheek he had dusted off briefly a moment ago.  

“Don’t worry about it,” he watched your grow redder as you slightly touched your cheek, warm from his lips. At least your mind still knew what a mate was to animals.  “I’m not going to rush, or push anything.  I just wanted to make sure you knew.  I worry about you, and I do care about you, so,  _so_ much.  I needed to tell you, but don’t think about it if it makes you uncomfortable.  Just take it easy.”  Part of him wished he didn’t have to be patient, but he knew he had to.  

Besides, you were his, and you weren’t going to be going anywhere anytime soon.  He was the only person you knew, and he was the only logical person with a story believable enough for you.  So he was the only person in the entire world you could trust right now.  And soon enough, when he got you comfortable with himself, he’d make sure his ragtag ‘pack’, if you could call it that, would protect you too.  

Of course, only he would know about you being human.  He was content about lying about you to his pack, if it meant you were safe.  From that moment, he was ready to lie when it came to you and himself for the remainder of his life.  

“I wish I remembered, it must be hard for you.”  He shook his head a bit.

“Yeah, but so long as you’re with me, we can start over.  I’ll always be with you and I’ll keep you safe.”  

“Do you- well- do you have other friends?”  He nodded.

“Yeah, I have a little pack.  None of us are from the same lab and most of us aren’t even the same Hybrid species, but we all keep each other safe from threats.”  He watched at you picked at your fingers.  He could practically tell what you were starting to worry about.  

“Are we, well are  _you_ going to them then?”  He sighed through his nose and ran a hand through your hair.  

“You’re worried on if they’ll accept a Hybrid with human-like characteristics, aren’t you?”  You looked at him shocked.

“I am!  How did you-”

“I’ve known you for too long, I can practically read you like a book.”  A lie, but also not a lie.  He could read you, easily, but he hadn’t know you long at all.  “Don’t worry.  I never mentioned to them that I had a mate- er a close friend- in my lab with me.  I was too worried that they would be obsessed with find you for me, and that would just be too much for me.  This makes it the perfect chance for everyone to find out.  Trust me, you’ll fit right in with us.”  

Truthfully, he wasn’t worried, but only a couple members made him think.  He didn’t think that the packs leader, as well as his right hand man, would fall for it so easily.  But, Mark was determined to lie through his teeth to them, no matter what.  Mark was never a liar, so the fact that his skills in lying, as well as his keen sense of telling the truth melded so perfectly, he wasn’t all that worried. 

“It’s going to get dark soon, we should start heading their way.”  You looked at him, then down to your knee.  It had stopped bleeding, but you were afraid to move it, afraid of the pain that might follow.  Mark noticed this, and quickly took action.  He moved to pull your legs in front of you, apologizing after you winced and then moved to lowers his back to you face.

“Um, Mark?”

“Just loop your arms around my neck and lean forward.  I’ll carry you on my back the way there.”  You jolted and gasped slightly.

“I can’t let you do that!”  He chuckled and looked over his shoulder.

“I’m a canine hybrid.  I could always change and have you ride on my back the entire way. Either way, you’re not getting out of this.”  The way your lower lip jutted out was cute to him, and soon he was lifting you off the ground, your chest to his back with his hands hooking under your thighs, your arms around his neck.  

As he walked, he soon entered the forested area, away from the city rubble and destruction.  

“It’s strange,” you muttered to yourself.  “I feel so comfortable with you, and I don’t feel anxious or afraid.” You rested your head on his back as he hoisted you up a bit further.  “It’s nice.”  

The power of a mate worked in his favor.  It took quite a while to follow the scent of where his pack was at the moment in his human form, and you had started to doze on his back, but soon he woke you and you were met with 6 pairs of eyes on your head that had peer around Marks shoulder.  

6 animals: A Tibetan wolf, a brown bear, an albino monocled cobra, a Korean red fox and 2 Eurasian lynxes.  Then, as you blinked once, twice and a third time, there were then 6 different men, all looking at you.

“Well,” Mark started as he brought the attention off of you and to him, “meet my mate guys.”


	4. 03

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark brings you back to his pack of 6 other hybrids. Some are skeptical, some are trusting, but in the end, just how will things turn out. And where will you end up by the end of it all?

“Mate? What are you talking about?  You never mentioned to us before that you were interesting in finding one.” A man with deep brown hair that was moved to show his forehead spoke with a deep voice.  Dawning a pair of black pants, a loose grey t-shirt and a black jacket, he seemed to glare at you. You only looked at him for a moment before looking away, however you caught a glimpse of the two moles right above his left eye.

“Yah, don’t get snippy with him.  It’s not like he knew, right?”  One of the lynxes spoke up now, his sweet voice catching your attention.  A slightly shorter man he was. He placed a hand on the other’s shoulder, attempting to ease his discomfort that he made plainly obvious.  Blue jeans, black shirt with a checkered flannel like over shirt.  He seemed a bit less intimidating at least.

“I did know, I just never told you about her.”  Mark replied, he could feel you growing more and more nervous as you rested on his back.  “I knew her before everything happened. She was in the same lab as me.”  

“So, she’s not a human?” The tallest man there, sat on a rock dawning a large, tan sweater with black pants.  A hat was hooked over his knee, his messy hair showing as a set of lynx ears twitched on the top of his head. He seemed relaxed as he directed his look at Mark.  Mark gave his most serious look and nodded at him with confidence, as if she really wasn’t human.  

“Then why does she smell like one.  It stinks.”  The man who was once an albino cobra seemed annoyed at the scent in the air as he sat on the ground.  He had an overly large sweater, tan in color, that complimented his bright hair and black pants.  He looked at you with a small glare, and Mark felt your grip on his shoulders tighten.

“H-human?”  You stuttered out shakily under your breath.

“She was with humans until not long ago.  Cut her some slack, she finally got away from them.  Of course she’s going to smell like them.”  Mark sent a glare and an annoyed response back at the boy, who in turn just clicked his tongue and leaned against the legs of the tallest lynx man who was next to him.

“I don’t think Mark’s lying,” the one who was once a fox spoke up, and almost made Mark flinch. “I mean, he’s defending her so passionately, that counts for something, right?” He looked at you over Mark’s shoulder and sent you a small smile, making you calm a bit.  Brunette hair with a hint of red, blue jeans with a black hoodie over his torso.  He seemed brighter in personality than most here.  

“Let’s just stop questioning him about it,” the last man spoke up, the Tibetan wolf.  “We’re not only probably pissing him off, but can’t you see you’re scaring her.  If Mark says she’s his, that’s the end of it.  She’s one of us now, and we need to accept that.”  Tan hoodie, matching tan boots and black sweats all with a light mint colored hat, that hid his own set of wolf ears, and a mask that hung from his ear.  Bleached hair above all else.  

Mark nodded to the man, happily taking his word about the matter and calming the questions and qualms of the others.  Mark looked over his shoulder to you as you seemed to hide further.  He didn’t know if you were scared or embarrassed or what, but you needed to go wash your body and change into clothes that other hybrids would wear.  He needed to quickly find a way to mask the smell of human from you, or cover it the best he could.  

“Before we get everything in place, she kinda needs to learn names and faces.”  You felt him bend down and put you down.  You stood on your own, but clung to one of his arms due to your still injured leg.  The blood had stopped and now dried onto her skin, but that didn’t stop the scent of blood to waft into the air.  The 6 others all stared at you, making you feel smaller and smaller in a world you knew nothing about.  

“I suppose so.”  In a span of a minute, each hybrid male had stated their name.  Jaebum, or JB to some, was the brown bear.  Jackson was the Tibetan wolf.  Jinyoung was the older of the two Lynxes.  Youngjae was the red fox.  Bambam, the albino monocled cobra. And finally Yugyeom, the second Lynx, and also the youngest of the group.  You had also found out Mark was the oldest in the group of 7 and was a coyote hybrid, however he didn’t act as the leader even if he was older than JB.  

They all looked at you and you just looked at your feet shuffling them around.

“Uh, my name is Y/N.. but that’s all I can really tell you.”  You knew Mark told you were fused with coyote blood, but you couldn’t speak up about that for some reason.  The boys narrowed their eyes in confusion, some even in skepticism.  Mark just held out his hand to try and put them at ease as he moved his arm from your grasp and reached it around you to grab your shoulder and rubbed up your arm in comfort.  

“I’ll explain everything to them.  Don’t worry.” He looked down at you and whispered to you before looking back to the group of men.  They were probably just out waiting for him or screwing around with humans or other hybrids in the area.  The house that they lived in wasn’t too far from here.  He needed to get you back and cleaned up before any other hybrid sniffed you out.

“Let’s get back.”  Jinyoung spoke as he stood and stretched his arms across his chest and heaved a heavy sigh.  “We’re going to have an extra body so we need to get things ready to take care of her.”  You felt like you were just intruding on their lives and almost wanted to decline the idea of living with all of them.  Mark sensed the hesitation in you and gripped your shoulder tighter, pulling you closer to his chest and leaned down to whisper into your ear.

“I’m not losing you again.  Come live with us.”  He pulled back and looked down at you, smiling, his sharp canines showing. “Okay?”  You felt your face heat as you just nodded and he did as well, happy and content that he convinced you.  He once again pushed you behind him before lifting you onto his back and hoisting you so you fell comfortably against him, your arms looped around his neck again.  

Along the walk back to your new home, you were chatted up by a few members of your new pack you found yourself to be apart of.  You didn’t talk much, but you just rested on Mark’s back as Jackson chatted away, soon pulling Bambam and Yugyeom back with him to talk too.  When Jackson was busy arguing with Yugyeom about something, you felt Bambam poke at your side, making you jolt a bit.  

You looked to your side, and down a tad to see him.  He was inspecting your shirt, torn and tattered, before lifting it up and looking at your bare hip and ruined pant seam.  

“Um..”  He looked up at you. “What are you doing… exactly?”

“You’re waist is tiny. Did the human’s starve you or something?  It looks like you haven’t eaten in days.”  You did admit you were hungry, but you didn’t know when you ate last.  It sounded like a pathetic, cliche excuse, but you  _really_ didn’t know.  You didn’t want to go through the trouble of explaining your amnesia, so you’d let Mark handle it like he said.  

He quickly dropped your shirt after he heard Mark growl at him.  He had been touching you for far too long for Mark’s liking.  Mark was still very territorial of you yet.  It’d be a day or two before anyone could freely touch you without getting on his every nerve.  You heard Bambam chuckle at Mark’s action as he perched his hands behind his head.   

“Hey,” he grabbed your attention again.  “Sorry for being a jerk back there.  I hope I didn’t offend you when I said you smelled like a human.”  You shook your head.  You understood.  “Humans suck.”  You nodded at him.

“It’s fine.  I don’t blame you.  If I were you, I wouldn’t trust me either.  It was nice of you to apologize though, you’re just a big softie aren’t you?” Bambam huffed as Yugyeom had found his way over to his best friend and slung his arm over his shoulder, pushing him down slightly.  

“He really is.  His scales just make him seem like he’s this big tough guy, despite his size.”  Yugyeom grinned as Bambam pushed his arm off his shoulders.

“Get off me.  I don’t want you to shed your nasty fur all over me.”  

“Afraid you’ll catch allergies, come on.”

“Shut up you overgrown cat.”

“Make me lizard boy.”

“I am not a lizard!” You stifle a laugh as you watched the two of them bicker.  You were quite curious as you looked at Yugyeom’s ears on his head.  He could wear his cap he had with him, but it still hung at his hip, looped around on of his still attached belt loops.  Did anyone else have animal qualities like him?

Yugyeom noticed your stares and his ears twitched as he grinned.

“Jackson’s got wolf ears.”  You jumped as you stuttered an apologize.

“I didn’t mean to stare!” He shook his head.

“Nah, it’s fine.  Jackson!”  The wolf, who had moved up to pester at JB, turned and walked backwards to see what Yugyeom wanted before running over to him. 

“What’s up?” Jackson met the small group with you, Bambam and Mark.

“Take your cap off.”  Jackson rose his brow at Yugyeom.  He then followed his eyes to you and how you would occasionally glance at Yugyeom’s lynx ears.  Jackson’s face split into a smile and he dramatically took his cap off and his bleached ears that were previously flat against his head sprung up, twitching and moving with the sounds of his surrounding and footsteps.  

“TA-DA!”  You chuckle at him as he leans his head closer to your shoulder and nudges you. “Wanna pet ‘em?”  You felt your body being moved in the opposite direction of Jackson’s head before you could answer as you felt Mark hoist you further up his back, re-positioning his grip under your thighs.  You peeked at his face over his shoulder and watched him glare at Jackson.

“She doesn’t.”  Jackson just laughed at the older man before teasing him about how possessive he’s being.

“I’ve never seen you so stingy before.  What, she can’t even give me, the friendly neighborhood wolf boy, a nice little pet?” Mark growled at him, just as he did to Bambam, as Jackson just bit the inside of his cheek from smiling more.  Stifling yet one more laugh with your hand, Mark visibly eased his tension.  

Earlier you were shy, quiet and terrified.  It was a weight off his shoulders to listen to your laugh, he only wished he could see you smile, but you being on his back, that was impossible.

“He growled at me earlier too.  He’s one possessive boyfriend.”  Your face burned as you hid it in between Mark’s shoulder blades.  He didn’t growl, nor did he glare at Bambam who had made the comment, but only felt proud.  He did tell you he wouldn’t force anything on you right away, so you technically weren’t a couple, but hearing it aloud was nice.

“Hey hey, careful, you’ll inflate his ego.”  Yugyeom piped in, ruining the moment. The rest of the walk consisted of learning that Bambam had white scales running up both of his arms, starting from his elbows and up to his shoulders under his sweater.  Youngjae had a fox tail he kept tucked into his hoodie most of the time.  The others looked like regular ole humans, other than their claws or sharp canine teeth, but they all can change into their animal forms, as you witnessed earlier.  

You had met Mark in his human form, and you’ve seen his canine teeth, but you hadn’t seen his coyote form, and you were a bit curious on how it looked.  But, you knew you’d find out sooner or later.  

After the commotion and chatting died down, Mark ushered the boys away so he could be with you alone for at least a little longer.  It was quiet, but none of you minded much.  It was a comfortable silence, and Mark enjoyed the feeling of you laying on him with such trust.  Part of him almost felt guilty for basing everything on a lie, but he had no choice.  

He’d deal with the reprimands as they came, but for now, he’d keep on his way.  He’d keep lying.  He’d lie until the lie slow started becoming the truth to everyone around him, even himself.

No sooner than he came to the conclusion, he stopped and tapped his fingers on your thighs to get your attention.  Looking up from where your head rested on his shoulder, you looked up in awe.  In front of you stood a house, in the middle of the woods. It looked like it was built rather recently and wasn’t worn down at all; nothing like the place of destruction and rubble you woke up in.  

Mark sensed your awe behind him as he hoisted you up again, bringing you up higher and your head leaned over his shoulder just enough for him to slightly brush your cheek with his lips.  Your face burning and a smirk on his lips, he looked back at the house.

“Welcome home, Y/N.”


	5. 04

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming to live in this house, with 7 men, one of which being the man who’s lying to her without her knowing. How far is Mark willing to go to show this woman whom he feels to strongly about, that he does truly care about her, without revealing his lies. So, that maybe she’ll never tell him the words he dreads to hear.

Mark made quick work of getting you inside to try and think of how to mask your natural, human scent.  He lead you through the house, promising a proper tour later, taking you into the bathroom. He set you on the sink counter, showing his soaps and shampoos that you could use.  If was going to mask your scent, he was going to make sure you used his soaps until he could get you your own. 

“What about clothes though?”  You timidly asked as he was ready to turn and leave.  

“I’ll lend you some of my clothes, but you’ll probably have to fit into something of Bambam’s bottom wise.  Hope that’ll work until we can find something for you to call yours.” He walked towards you and grabbed your shirt, his fingers brushing your stomach as he reached under it to tug at the fabric.  “This, has to go. It’s way too torn to keep.” He tapped on your knee. “These too,” he spoke about your jeans. You nodded.

“Alright.  Thank you.”  

“I’ll leave now.  Lock the door behind me and don’t let anyone in if they knock.  They’re a bunch of perverts.” You chuckled slightly. You highly doubted that, but you’d let him tell you anyways while you nodded like you believed it.  Just like you were told, as soon was he was out, you hoped off the counter to lock the door and undress. 

You turned the water on and stepped inside, working to clean your body of dirt, grime, dust and blood. As well as the ‘sickening’ scent of human that you didn’t know that belonged to you, and not rubbed onto you by others.  

Mark rummaged through his drawers, finding a turtle neck, too small for him to wear anymore.  He went to Bambam’s room, going through his drawers, much to his dismay, and pulled a pair of shorts he never wore as well as a pair of black jeans with holes in the knees.  They were worn, but they’d work for you, besides, he had plenty of other black ripped jeans, so he’d find a way to suck it up. 

He made his way back to his room, tossing the clothes on his bed as he then scratched his head , wondering what to do for your undergarments before he just shrugged and found a pair of boxers with a stretchy-elastic band around the waist.  

“If they don’t fit her waist, I’ll hem it,” as he muttered to himself.  He’d go and rob a pair of Bambam’s yet again, but the idea of you wearing a pair of boxers that were someone else's, even his friends, pissed him off slightly.  It was like when he was touching you earlier with Jackson. It just pissed him off. 

He was in his room, just wondering if he should pull out another shirt if you get warm, or if maybe he should’ve asked what you prefer, when he heard you call for him at the other end of the hall. His heightened hearing let him hear the slight twinge of uncertainty in your voice and he left his room, looking to see you peeking out the cracked bathroom door, towel wrapped around your chest.  

He jogged over to you, slightly pushing you back into the room before closing the door behind him.  He didn’t want any of the boys to walk by and see you just wrapped up in a towel. He had half a mind to whip right back out of the room after realizing he was in the room with you alone and you smelt clean, and like he did when he took a shower, nearly naked mind you.

“Uh, yeah?  What is it?”  

“Well, I just finished up and I didn’t know what to do with my old clothes, or where I should go to change?  Or if any other clothes were ready for me, or what?” He nodded. He looked at your tattered clothes folded the best they could be in the sink as he looked down at you and smiled.  You were cute covered in dirt, but nice and clean he thought you were much more beautiful.

“You look better without all the dirt on you.”  You half smiled at him. 

“Thanks. I feel better too.”  He had half a mind to kiss you, or maybe just kiss your forehead, but you got so flustered earlier when he just barely kissed your cheek, so maybe he shouldn’t.  But, oh did he want to. 

“I’ll take you to my room where you can change.  I have some clothes set out for you to wear. Just tell me if you want something else and I’ll see what I can do.”  You just nodded to him as he cracked the door open and watched as Youngjae was coming out of his room, and he looked at Mark and you.  Mark growled at him, nudging his head and Youngjae just casually turned around and went back into his room. He’d wait before he left, or risk getting into a fight which he really wasn’t up for.  

Mark lead you to his room, and you looked at the clothes on the bed.  A black turtle neck, a pair of shorts, boxers, and jeans. He shut the door when the two of you were inside, and flipped the lights on, letting you get a better look.  He could see just fine in the dark, but you couldn’t without time to adjust to the darkness.

“I know it might get hot, but I figure the turtle neck is thicker, so it’ll hide your chest better, since I don’t have any bras around for you.”  You blushed as you faintly wondered what you would do about your breasts, but thankfully you didn’t have to ask about it. “It was too small for me anyways. But, if you get hot, we’ll figure something out.  Maybe go snag something somewhere if we’re lucky.” You nodded as you picked up the shorts in one hands and the jeans in the others.

“These seem a bit small for you.”

“There Bambams.”  You nodded, suddenly remembered he did tell you you’d probably have some of Bambam’s clothing too.  You can imagine a fuming little snake, hissing at Mark as he walked out with his clothes. 

“He was dressed nice when we met.  He must care about his image.”

Mark rolled his eyes.  “You have no idea.” He cleared his throat as you chuckled, continuing on the issue of actually getting you dressed. “Now, go ahead and get dressed, I’ll wait outside the door if you need anything, okay?”  You nodded as he slipped out and moved to lean his back against the door in the hall. He huffed as he hear you shuffle around. 

You had slipped the turtle neck over your head, flipping your damp hair out of it’s confinement before slipping on the boxers you had gotten.  They must’ve been Mark’s, because they didn’t seem like something you could see Bambam wearing. However, they were just a bit too loose that with a few steps you were stopping to pull them up.  You swallowed, your face growing in embarrassment as you opened your mouth to call for Mark.

“Um, Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you, uh, come in here for a second?  I seem to have a bit of a problem.” Mark turned the knob and nearly ducked back out of the room at seeing you.  The turtle neck was small on him, but seemed to engulf you. Hitting your thighs, he could just barely see the boxers peeking out from under the shirt.  Your flushed face didn’t help things either. He serious felt like screaming.

“What’s wrong?”

“The boxers,” you lifted your shirt, making the coyote's eyes swirl as you showed your legs and a bit of your stomach to show the slack around your waist. “They’re pretty loose.”  He walked over to his dresser, grabbing a small little case before he moved to sit in front of you. He opened the case to show a small arrangement of small spools of thread and a sewing needle.  

“I thought they might be big.  I’ll hem them, but you’ll need to hold your shirt up, okay? And stay still, I don’t wanna poke you.”  You nodded as you watched him skillfully thread the needle and tie it off with black thread.

“You’re good at that.”  He shrugged.

“I had to learn how to hem and adjust clothing before I figured out how to live and get my own clothes again.”  You nodded. The house and the atmosphere around you almost made you forget that outside the vast forested area surrounding you was a dystopian wasteland.  “Now, hold still.” He took hold of the top of the boxers and pinched them together, pinning it to a place where they wouldn’t slide from your hips before he started threading them together.

With every passing touch of his fingers or the feeling of his hand resting on your stomach to steady you when he tugged the thread to secure it, you shivered and he bit at his lip.  He was starting to find his instincts, he constantly had to hold back towards you, annoying. If his constant thoughts and wanting to touch you would go away, that’d be great in his case.  He didn’t want to scare you away by acting on his impulses and ravaging you.

When he finished, he tied a knot to make sure it wouldn’t dethread and moved to rip the threat with his teeth, biting it close to your stomach, his nose brushing your skin and getting a whiff of his body wash on your body.  Once again, he found himself growling and stopping himself from acting stupidly.

He packed up his thread and needle into his case as you dropped the turtle neck back down, now happy that the boxers fit you, more or less, properly.

“That work for you?” Mark asked as he looked at you, your face much more pleased than when he came in.  

“Yes, it’s much better.  Thank you.” You turned and smiled at him, and it was the first time he was seeing you smile so clearly that day.  He walked to you and put a hand on your head, and he would’ve laughed at your action of pushing back into his hand, like a cat nuzzling into their owners touch.  If you weren’t so obviously human, he would’ve thought you were a feline hybrid or something.

“You know, you’re even cuter when you smile.”  You stopped and looked up to him, astonished at yet another one of his blunt compliments.  The idea of him knowing you before kept playing in your head, and made sense since he was so comfortable around you, when in reality he knew he had a role to keep up.  He had to be this way with you, he had to act like he’s known you. “I hope you learn to smile a lot more again. With me, and with the guys. They really aren’t all that bad, I promise.”  You nodded.

“I know.  They don’t seem like bad people.  Just... skittish, which I understand.  I know it’s not really safe out there, and I get that I was just some random stranger to them.  It’s no surprise, but if they understand in the end, I hope they can soften up to me.” That was the most he’s heard you talk.  You seemed determined, almost like you had to earn your place next to him and his pack. Is that what you thought? 

“Y/N, let me tell you a secret.”  You looked up to him. “They do trust you, because they trust me.  They may seem standoffish, or unsociable for a time, but they don’t dislike you.  Jackson and Yugyeom, they talked your ear off, and Bambam apologized for the way he acted.  JB is protective of us all, and Jinyoung takes care of us. Youngjae doesn’t think ill of you at all either, so don’t push yourself.  It’ll all fall into place.” 

“And what about you?”  

“Hm?”

“Do you trust me?  How do you feel about me Mark?” Your question was innocent to you.  Sure, maybe you were mates, but did that really mean that he liked you?  That he enjoyed having you around. Maybe you did something in the past that made him mad, or maybe the fact that he hadn’t been with you, according to him, for so long created dissonance.  And mixed with your amnesia, you didn’t know how he truly felt. 

Mark, for the first time that day, rejected holding his instincts and crashed his body into yours. He bent down and grabbed under your thighs, quickly lifting you up, your legs on either side of his torso as you rested on his chest, your hands on his shoulders out of shock as you let out a small squeak at his action.  He held you up as you were slightly taller than him now, looking down at him as he looked up at you, his nose brushing yours. Your hair fell forwards, drier than before, but still damp as it framed your face and brushed against his own.

“Do I trust you?”  You nodded sheepishly at him, your once found confidence lost.  “I’ve never trusted anyone more than you.” That was the first thing he’d told you about himself about you that he didn’t lie about.  He did trust you, he didn’t know why, but he did. Without a doubt in his mind, he trusted you with anything and everything. “I know I told you when I found you that you’re my mate, but you’re more than that too.  You’re my best friend, the person I care about the most, the person I want to protect and never be away from again. You’re the one person I’m in love with.”

Normally, with his small touches and actions, you felt so embarrassed you felt your face would burst into flames, but when he told you all this, you were calm.  You didn’t feel embarrassed, you didn’t feel flushed, you didn’t want to run and hide. You figured it was your body's way of unconsciously remembering the forgotten memories you supposedly had with him, but in reality it was the air around him in which he manipulated with his lies and the bond of a mate that made this feelings rise.  

“Do you… do you mean that?” Your voice was wavering, afraid to believe him.

“I wouldn’t lie to you,” he winced at himself, “not about something like this.”  He quickly added. He just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t tell you he wouldn’t lie to you when, so far, everything he’s said has been a lie.  

“Then, I believe you.”  You looked down a bit, eyes fallen.  You were conflicted. “I believe that you said you love me, but I just..”  He smiled at you, craning his neck to try and catch your eyes again, just like the moment before.

“Hey,” his voice was soft, “I know.  It’s hard for you right now. You can’t possibly feel the same when you don’t remember.  But, it’s alright, okay?” He ran his thumbs over your thighs that he still held to keep your hoisted in the air against his chest.  “It’ll all be okay, you’re strong.” You nodded as he pushed his head down and leaned against your neck. 

He moved, walking until his knees hit the back of his bed and he sat down.  You, now sat straddling his lap, as he reached his arms around your back, moving them from your thighs, and pushing you closer to him.  He just wanted to rest like this for a moment, taking in your scent in the calm silence. 

Your hands that rested on his shoulders moved on their own to his hair, combing through it as you felt him smile against your neck through the fabric of your turtleneck.  

“You unconsciously remembered that I like you playing with my hair I see.”  You heard him chuckle at you looked at your fingers interlaced with his bright, blonde locks.  Was that it? Was it an unconscious memory your body reacted to? That’s progress right, muscle memory is better than no memory at all at least.  

“You like your hair being played with?”  He nodded. 

“It’s comforting.  And it helps me sleep if I can’t.”  You thought it childish almost, yet you still continued your actions. “But, only by you.” You two sat like that in silence for what felt like hours.  Until he knew he had to get up, to move, or else he’d want to just go to sleep with you and hold you until morning. But he knew you needed to eat, and from what he could smell from his room, it wouldn’t be long until Jinyoung and Jackson were calling from the kitchen.

“Can you promise me one thing, Y/N?”  His voice was relaxed from the silence as you stopped treading his head and moved away from him to look down to him. He looked up to you, as you nodded.  “Don’t disappear on me.” 

“I won’t.”  You answered on instinct, but strangely you meant it.  

“Good.”  It was then that a knock was heard on his door, Jackson calling out that they needed to come out and eat.  Mark called back that they’d be right down, and inwardly groaned as he lifted you off him, already missing your warmth.  He wondered if you’d let him hold you while he slept, or even if you would sleep next to him. 

“Slip on your jeans and we’ll head down.  You need food.” You nodded as you pulled on the jeans, much more snug on you than you originally thought they would be.  Mark nodded in approaval before brushing through your hair and tying it up in a damp bun. “It’ll be easier to eat if it’s out of the way.”  You nodded as he finished and the two of you left the room, heading down to eat. 

Dinner was what you would expect.  Mark explaining that she was his mate from when he was in the lab, who now suffered from complete amnesia.  Bambam apologized once again after learning that, and how he was rough with you when you met, but you just dismissed it.  He explained that you were captured by humans months back, separated from him and he had finally found you that day in the ruble that was once the city.  

He explained that he wouldn’t risk losing her again, and asked once more that they all accept her, even if not now, in time.  She meant too much to him, and he couldn’t be without her now that she’s back at his side. He just couldn’t. When Yugyeom asked what kind of hybrid she was, and what qualifications she had, a grim look passed your face from what Mark told you earlier.  

“She’s a handicapped.”  There was a heavy silence now.  

“Oh,” Yugyeom regretted asking now as he looked at you.  

“She can no longer transform, and her senses are completely dulled due to harsher testing and experimentation than the rest.  When they tried killing her due to the fact she was unable to transform anymore, the process was stopped midway, making her senses the same as a human.”

“Are you telling us that they basically stripped her of her hybrid characteristics?” Jinyoung spoke up.  

“Yes.  She’s the equivalent of a human now, but she still has the blood of a hybrid.  It’s just in her body though, she can’t tap into it anymore.” Mark looked down at his hands.  “That’s why I never told you about her, and I was so worried she would be dead. If the humans found her, and found out she was like this, they would kill her.  I don’t know how she’s made it this long, but I don’t care.”

“Then the overwhelming scent of human from her from earlier was her human blood overpowering her animal?  It makes sense that her dominate nature be more prominent than her secondary,” JB piped up. “But, now that she’s washed up, and changed, she smells more like a hybrid.”

“She smells like Mark,” Bambam chimed in.  

“Of course she does, she used his soap in the shower.  And it’s his shirt,” Youngjae fired back at the younger.  

“And my pants mind you,” Bambam grumbled back.

“Get over it lizard boy,” Yugyeom teased at him.  Once again making Bambam tell him not to call him a lizard.  You giggled at the exchange. It was an odd pack, but it felt right.  It was like a family almost.

“Anyways, I think we’ve got the gist of it now,” JB returned the focus back to you and your predicament.  “We’ll just need to make sure to mask your more human like scent if we go out. And since we’re all now familiar with you, we’ve memorized what you smell like so you don’t need to mask it while your at home.” 

“You mean… I can stay?” You were still a bit skeptical on if you could stay here or not.  

“Of course you can!”  Jackson happily yelled.  “It’s not like we’re villains who would refuse a poor girl a home.  Plus, if we said no Mark would actually fight all of us.” He laughed as Mark rolled his eyes, but he really would.  He’d start a fist fight faster than anyone could click their fingers if they tried to force you out. 

“I guess,” you looked up to Mark, “I’m staying then?”

“Well you’re not leaving, that’s for sure.”  You cracked a smile as the conversation shifted to one much less tense.  Jokes, teasing and playful arguments flew across the table, along with a few spoons that Bambam threw at Jackson. You don’t know how you got to this point, but you were even finding yourself stopping them and acting like you’ve known them forever when things got out of hand.  

You managed to reel in Bambam and sit him down to eat his food, and got Yugyeom to stop teasing him about ‘being a lizard’.  You bribed Jackson into eating first, talking second with the promise of letting him spar with Mark, using him to your advantage.  Mark in turn, shoving your shoulder at using him at a scapegoat. Jb and Jinyoung were actually relieved that your work seemed to lessen theirs.  

You didn’t have the slightest clue on what was going to happen, or how this even came to happen to you.  You were scared of your memories, or lack thereof, and didn’t know what would come if you got them back. Trauma? Anguish?  You weren’t sure, but right now, you didn’t care. You’d live with these men, you’d live with your mate, and you’d make a new you.  You’d make someone you could call Y/N, all while Mark watched. 

Watched as he watched the girl he lied to created herself, living in fear that you’d vanish should you find out, or remember just who you were, and that you weren’t Y/N like he said, but remembering your real name.  Fearing that one day, his lies would turn against him and make you say that you didn’t love him like he wished you would learn to, but hated him in the end. 

You uttering those words, those three dreadful words, was what Mark Tuan feared the most.  

 


	6. 05

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After 2 week of living with your new pack, they had warmed up to you. You had learned about their personalities and their do’s and don'ts of the house. You took care of them if they needed something and always worked hard to do simple chores for them since they were out a lot of the time. However, in those 2 weeks. You never once left the house, under strict guidelines from Mark that you weren't allowed to. But, what if you did, just once?

It was so strange inside the walls of the house you lived in that sat deep in the middle of the woods in what seemed to be the only small clearing of trees. Living with the 7 different hybrid species men was surreal enough, but when the lively atmosphere they brought with them left the house, you could always feel the real state of the world on you.  

The boys were loud, obnoxious, rowdy and almost too carefree at times.  It was like there was no destruction or havoc out in the real world and everything was fine. Like society was in place and war wasn’t the everlasting doom of why restoration can’t even begin to be fathomable. And it almost seemed like they tried to create that illusion for you, so that you wouldn’t be curious of the outside to begin with.

Jinyoung had taken Youngjae out with him one day, telling you that they’d be out for a few errands and would be back later.  You always tried to keep tabs on all of the boys. Hybrids, strong men or not, they were all you had and you wanted to know. Even if you were basically useless.  Sure enough the fox and the lynx had come back a few hours later, a cloth bag hung over Youngjae’s shoulder.

“And this would be?” You walked over to the boys as the smiling fox plopped the bag onto the floor in front of you as he opened the tied up top of it. He opened it and showed you, smiling as Jinyoung walked around you to the kitchen to grab the coffee he smelt you had just started brewing.  

“You’re new wardrobe,” was all he said before he disappeared into the kitchen.  You gapped as you looked into the bag as you and Youngjae sat on the floor of the living room, him digging out clothes while you took them, looked them over and folded them.  Even tried a few on just for kicks. 

Jeans fit for you and not just Bambam’s, shirts: long sleeved, short sleeved and even no sleeves, shorts that are once again not Bambam’s and even a hoodie and a few sweaters for when the weather got cooler. It was closer to fall now, so soon those would be put to use.  You even dug around and saw a few random trinkets like a hairbrush, a new toothbrush and random jewelry in there. Nothing was new or store bought, as you knew, but all of it was in good condition.

“This is amazing. Thank you guys for this.”  Jinyoung was sat at the table just around the corner as he sat and read a bit.  He lifted his cup around the corner to signal a  _ ‘it’s no problem’ _ before he silently resumed his quiet time before Bambam and Yugyeom came marching home.  Youngjae just smiled as he lay his head on your lap as you pat his head, watching as his tail, not hidden under his shirt or tucked away, laid relaxed behind him.  He was always more affectionate when it came to you, he was the first, besides Mark, to allow you to even touch him.

Mark had eased off on the possessive nature of his when it came to you, it had been 2 weeks after all, but he’d still get easily irritated if too much affection was shown and it wasn’t from him.  He himself wasn’t much of a fan of showing he cared around the guys, knowing he’d probably get teased, so he kept it behind closed doors.

He had just walked in the door as he saw you sitting on the living room floor with Youngjae on your lap, nearly asleep. You looked up to him as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot, glaring at Youngjae until the fox opened his eyes when you tapped his cheek.

“Oh,” was all he said as he chuckled lightly and lifted himself off you.  You put your clothes in the bag the lynx and fox brought back, but Mark grabbed it before you did.  You also noticed a small black backpack on his back.

“I wanna show you something. Come on.”  Mark told you as you followed behind up upstairs and to the shared room you both had.  You didn’t mind sharing a room with him, hell you two start sleeping next to each other already.  But, a part of you still couldn’t wrap your head around being his mate, and you would always flush when someone brought it up.  Mark didn’t mind though, he got more patient as time passed and he’d wait for you to accept it like he knew you would in time.

He closed the bedroom door as he flipped on the light and tossed the cloth bag by the closet doors as well as took his own bag off and set it on the bedside.  He gestured for you to open it, and you did so. Inside was what looked like unopened and even still tagged cases of underwear and bras. He didn’t know you size, so he just guessed it from what he’s felt when he’s wrapped his arms around you when you slept or when he’d sneak a glance at you when you’d change.

“I don’t know if anything will actually work, but it was worth a try to at least get you something.  You’ve gone without support on your chest for weeks and I’m sure you’re tired of me having to hem up my boxers just to fit you.  Not to mention I only have so many boxers to go through.” He chuckled at his last statement as you took the bag and smiled to him.

“Thank you.  I’ll go see if they fit me.”  He grabbed your arm, pulling you to his chest as he locked his fingers together behind the small of your back.  He smirked down at you, knowing a sly comment was about to leave his lips you already felt yourself flush.

“You could just try them on in here.”  You slapped his chest as he chuckled and leaned to put his forehead on the crown of your tilted down head.  He frowned a bit as he took in your scent. “You smell like Youngjae.” You laughed lightly at him.

“Of course I do, he was nearly sleeping on my lap.”  

“Why can’t I sleep on your lap?”

“Because you won’t be affectionate like you are in here when the others are around.”  Mark tilted your head up as he smiled at you.

“So, if I laid on your lap in here, you’d let me sleep on it?”  You stuttered as your face heated and made him laugh. He pushed his nose against yours and then moved to lean his face against your shoulder.  Though the scent of Youngjae is on you, your scent alone is still dominate and intoxicating. He, almost too casually, stuck out his tongue and licked just slightly at the crease of your neck, making you jump and squeal at the texture of the unforeseen action.  He smirked against your skin as he pulled away from you, watching you cover your neck where he licked you.

“Now you smell more like me.”  He walked away from you, taking a pair of new shorts and a t-shirt from your new selection that Jinyoung and Youngjae brought you and handed them to you.  “Take your shower, wash off that Youngjae smell and use my soaps. I like it when you smell like me.” You shyly nodded, not always use to the amount of affection he was capable of showing.  But, you looked at the t-shirt in your arms, conflicted. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh, actually,” you lifted the end of the shirt and dropped it again before walking and grabbing the turtleneck he gave you and put the shirt back in the bag.  “I prefer wearing this, if you don’t mind it.” Mark smiled as you walked back over to him, making him pet at your hair. 

“I prefer it too.”  He pushed playfully at your shoulder.  “Now shower.” You nodded and left the room to do just that.  While you showered, you heard the noise outside the bathroom increase, noting that the rest of the boys were probably home now.  When you got out, and was happy when your new undergarments fit you, you put up your damp hair, not wanting to properly dry it right now, also knowing that Bambam likes doing that for you sometimes surprisingly enough, and slipped on your shorts and turtleneck before tossing your clothes in your own basket they keep for you and left the bathroom.  

You walked down to the kitchen to see Jinyoung and JB already slaving to feed the mouths of the house and when you were going to pipe up and ask if they needed help, you felt Jackson jump on your back.  He wrapped his arms over your shoulders, nuzzling your neck laughing as you teased about how you smelt like Mark again.

He then moved to wrap his arms around your waist and hoisted you up to drag you into the living room.  Yugyeom, who was just casually walking by, wouldn’t let this fly. Jackson carrying around his second best friend?  He thought not. 

He tried to pry you from the older man’s grip, but it just ended up being a case of you hanging in the air between the two like a bridge.  Your calves behind held by Jackson, and your upper arms by Yugyeom as they swung you around. You were concerned, without a doubt, about what you may or may not break with your swaying body, as well as your well-being.

“Hey!”  Mark had walked around the corner to see the mess and growled at the two, startling Jackson to the point he dropped your legs and your bum hit the ground with a dull, harsh thud.  Yugyeom let your arms go as you rubbed your sore bottom and Jackson was by your side, sitting on the ground apologizing and asking if you’re okay. 

You hit the bill of the hat from his head, making the hat fly off and scratched at his  flattened wolf ears as he looked at you. You smiled in reassurance and a sigh of relief from him and Yugyeom is enough to satisfy you.  Jackson fell into your lap as he apologized one more time and you looked up to Mark. 

“Really?” The oldest questioned in annoyance as Jackson wrapped his arms around your middle and held you tighter, smirking to his friend.  

“Jealous yet?”

“I’d lose the attitude if you wanna keep both your ears on your head wolf boy.” You rolled your eyes as Jackson whined and whimpered into your stomach, turning his head and making Mark come and literally pick him up and pry him off your stomach, only to walk him off to some other room.  Yugyeom lifted you off the ground as you dusted yourself off. Jackson’s hair was getting long and it was almost like it was shedding. He was due for a trim soon.

“So Mark just carried a whining Jackson outside?  Did I miss something?” Bambam had came to you and Yugyeom in a tank top, showing off his silver scales that ran up his arms as he rubbed at the back of his head in confusion.  You and Yugyeom just laughed as you gave him the rundown on what happened. He was laughing too by the end of it. 

That night was the same as the other.  Playful banter as you all ate, until you shut it all down so they did actually eat and not waste food by flinging it at someone.  The boys had their turns at the shower and all changed into their comfortable night time clothing before they all relaxed in the living room before one by one going off to bed.  

You had gone to bed before Mark did, and you had been laying by yourself for a while now, just thinking.  You stared at your window, watching the dark sky that was clouded over so not even the moon shone though the glass tonight.  What was it like out there? You know the boys aren’t keeping you captive or anything, they just wanted to keep you safe. You heard the bedroom door open and shut and soon Mark crawled into bed behind you.

He brushed at your small strands of hair, you still had in a sloppy bun, to see your neck and the goosebumps that rose in the dark room with his night adjusted eyes when his fingers touched your skin.  

“You’re still awake?” You nodded and hummed.  You sounded tired, but still not sleeping. “Having troubles actually going to sleep?” You shrugged as you turned around to face him.  

“Why can’t I go outside?” Mark sighed as he put one of his hands under his head, his elbow close to your head, almost tempting to lay on.

“We’ve talked about this.”   

“I know, but I get know why not.  I can handle myself you know.”

“Being able to somehow pry Jackson off of Bambam doesn’t mean you're able to handle yourself.  It’s not safe out there, and I frankly don’t want anything to happen to you again.” A pang a guilt hit you as you remember when you first met Mark, or the first time you remember.  A different guilt hit Mark, as he was once again bringing up his lies. He hadn’t had to lie to you for a while, so it was almost painful to do it again. “I know you think you’ll be okay, but no matter what we do or how we try to hide it, your scent is too much like a human.  If another hybrid finds you, they’re going to try and kill you without stopping to ask questions.” You looked down at his chest instead of his eyes as he brought his unoccupied hand to your chin. 

He stroked under your chin and to your cheek , brushing the loose strands of hair out of your face. He moved closer to you and reached around to the back of your head, carefully pulling out your hair tie.  He muttered a small apology, or winced with you, with every jolt you made when he pulled on a hair string too harshly. Soon, your hair was out and your tie on his wrist as he brought a lock of it that sat in his palm over your shoulder to rest against your cheek.  

“I know you might feel smothered, stuck here all time, but I’m not ready to let you go out yet.” You understood that he was cautious, almost too much so, but you understood.  But even if that was the case, it didn’t stop you from waking up early the next day and sneaking out of the house on your own in a pair of boots, ripped jeans and Mark’s turtleneck.

You had crept out of the house, careful to avoid all the noted squeaks in the floor.  You even left a note saying you’d only take a walk around the area if someone, or rather, Mark was to wake up before you got back.  Surely the turtleneck that smelt of Mark would mask the overwhelming human scent of your half bred body, wouldn’t it?

You left the front door and ran out into the trees, just in case someone saw you and tried to call you back and soon you were weaving in and out of trees.  You stopped running eventually and mentally remembered where you were and started wandering about. There was no destination per say, just the fresh, or as fresh as it can be, air and a change of scenery.  

You came into another small opening, and you didn’t know how you got there, but it was the same small spot in which Mark carried you on his back and you first met the boys 2 weeks ago.  You smiled as you moved to sit on the rock you remembered Yugyeom sat on with Bambam beside him on the ground and thought about it. It wasn’t a distant memory, but it was a valuable one as it was one of your first ones you had as this you.  The you who couldn’t remember anything else past waking up and meeting Mark.

Maybe that was another reason you wanted to go out so badly.  Maybe fresh air and an open mind instead of a cramped house with 7 rowdy hybrids would jog something in your memory.  Maybe you could remember something and come back to mark and tell him about a memory that you two may or may not have shared.  But, you were also scared. You couldn’t pinpoint why you were so afraid, but you were. 

Something about remembering terrified you, along with the thought of Mark knowing you remembered.  It just didn’t settle right in your gut. He never pushed you to remember, so maybe he didn't want you to?  Maybe the life in the lab he told you about wasn’t worth remembering? You didn’t know. 

Your train of thought was plucked from you by a sound that came from the tree line in front of you at the edge of the clearing.  First it was an innocent rustling of the leaves, even shaking of tree branches, figuring it was a squirrel you moved on from it and tried to relax.  But you kept hearing different sounds that were from a distance, and they were coming closer to you. 

The closer the rustling got, snapping twigs, moving leaves, the sound of dirt kicking up, all of the noises got closer.  Then a faint distant sound of laughter and hollers, even howls, entangled in the sounds before they got closer and closer and louder and louder and soon, silence. But the silence was not welcome, as in the small hint of dusk and just the right angle of the rising sun, you could see something.

Multiple pairs of eyes animals of a few kinds, glowing in the sun just behind the trees of the exits of the clearing.  Eyes that you watched become darker and change to belong to the bodies of men. Eyes you didn’t recognize and men you knew weren’t welcome by you.  Maybe, just maybe, you should’ve listened to Mark and stayed back at the house like he told you to. 

You knew, as you sat in the clearing of one of your first memories, undoubtedly, you were not safe anymore. A sly grin of an unfamiliar man only further proved this point.


	7. 06

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You disobeyed him. You broke one of, if not the biggest rule, Mark had told you not to do. You left that god forsaken house. Venturing into an open world of noses that would sniff out your human scent, it was no surprise that someone had found you. Now, the question was, would Mark get to you before they would?

Not long after you had snuck off into the woods, Mark had started to slowly stir awake.  Something didn’t feel right to him, as the lack of warmth behind his back where you normally were sleeping wasn’t there.  Not your body, or the remaining heat your body would normally leave if you did leave the bed indicating that you hadn’t been there for a while.  In his dreary state, he assumed you had gotten up and went to shower, or sit and read, or make some food, anything really. But, as he lay there, waking up a bit more, he hadn’t heard a single noise.  

He slowly pushed himself to lean on his elbow on the bed, looking at the closed bedroom door. He strained his heightened hearing to listen for something, anything from inside the house that would be you.  He heard nothing, and he also couldn’t smell you. Your scent lingered in the house yes, but it didn’t feel like you were actually in it. He looked around the room to see your shorts folded on your pillow and your drawer of the dresser Mark let you use slightly ajar.  

He started getting more and more nervous as he started putting pieces of everything together.  He flipped the covers off him as he rolled out of bed and with just his sweats on ran out of the room and down the stairs to the front door.  He stopped in front of it, hoping that your shoes would be there. That was his last way of knowing, his last piece of the puzzle of knowing what was going on.  He skidded to a stop as he looked at the shoes all crowded by the door. Yours not being there. 

He bared his teeth and cursed as he ran his hand through his hair.  He unlocked the door and threw it open, running out without a second thought.  No shoes, no shirt, hair a mess and still dressed in his sweats. You had left the house.  You left the damn house just like he told you not to, and you had no idea what was out there.  He was furious, worried, scared and running on nothing but pure, unadulterated adrenaline.

Mark left in such a hurry that he didn’t notice the pair of eyes that stood not far behind him around the corner, watching him as he cursed and bolted before going to wake up the others to follow him.  They didn’t know what was happening, but they had a feeling that whatever it was, Mark may need his pack with him.

* * *

 

You sat on the rock and dug your fingers into the hard surface of it, almost wishing it wasn’t a hard rock, but something a bit easier to grasp.  You held your breath as you watched the man watch you, other men on his either side, the same sick smirk on his face as he tilted his head right and left.  

This man, this hybrid, racked his eyes over your body.  He was confused, but also entertained at the scent you gave off.  You smelled like a human, yet you also had a small scent of that belonging to a hybrid.  Your shirt basically oozed of the scent of a male hybrid, but everything else about you screamed human to his senses.  

“Good morning Miss,” his voice was sleek, but in a way that sent terrifying shivers up your spine.  You hardly wanted to move, let alone speak. Mark had told you that stranger hybrids didn’t know you or your circumstances, so they would immediately speculate you as a human. “And just what might you be doing out here all alone?”  You kept your lip between between your teeth. You didn’t want to say anything, didn’t even want to open your mouth to breathe. “Come on now, don’t be so shy. Let’s have a little chat. What’s say you, Little Human?”

Human? You narrowed your eyes at him, a sudden small ring of anger purging your chest.  You didn’t want to be called a human, not after all they did to hurt hybrids, to hurt your pack, to hurt  _ Mark _ .  The man saw the slight swirl in your eyes that took offense of his words.  

“Oh?  Is that attitude I see? Is the little human girl going to throw a fit now?”  You bit down harder on your lip and released it.

“Stop calling me that.”  

“I call them as I see them sweetie.”

“Then you’re blind, or is that because the human’s damaged your eyes.  I might understand if you were just too weak to defend yourself against them, maybe then I’ll let the name calling slide.”  Maybe it was because you were around Mark so much, for so long and he was your first memory, but you seemed to grow a backbone.  Something about your tone and words mimicked Mark, and you hoped that would set you at ease, let you gain some ground, at least a bit.

You watched as the man clicked his tongue and decided to skip all his planned taunting, having lost his temper with your tone and insults.  He kicked up his foot, his boot kicking up dirt and rocks to hit your face. Your shut your eyes as you let out a whine and your hands flew up to rub at your eyes and cover your face.  The dirt and dust stung in your eyes as you suddenly felt yourself being pushed backwards. 

You fell off the rock, your back hitting the ground as your felt the weight of the man over you, holding tightly onto the collar of your turtleneck.  You couldn’t open your eyes, the stinging still present and no way to flush out the debris. You felt your breath lessen as his hand pushed around your throat and held you to the ground, despite your hardest attempt of thrashing under him, legs kicking and pushing your hips up to try and get out from under him.

You heard the hollars and laughter of his pack behind him as you felt his breath fan over your neck as he pulled part of your collar down.  He was a wild canine, the quickest and most familiar way to kill something that he’s hunting down is to rip open their neck. He planned on doing just that.  You felt his breath practically burn your skin and his teeth brush against it, and you shook. You really shouldn’t have left the house.

You heard the man take an intake of breath, ready to plunge his teeth into your skin and rip it off like some starving man tearing into a chicken leg, but it didn’t happen.  Your still stinging eyes didn’t see anything, but your ears heard something, a lot of somethings.

The weight of the man and his grip around your throat all disappeared, as you felt something fly over your pinned down body.  You heard scuffling and growls, hissing and howls, fighting and screaming along with pounding steps against dirt and snapping twigs.  You pushed yourself to sit up and vigorously rubbed at your eyes, trying to gain some sight back. 

Your pried open your misty eyes, stinging still and blinking them rapidly.  Holding them open was uncomfortable to say the least, but if you squinted then it was bearable.  You saw blurs of animals. A different canine stood a distance away from you, it’s back to you. Golden coat as you saw it’s tense body and heard it’s growls.  It was standing face to face with what you guessed was the man from before, only he had transformed back into his wolf like form. 

You heard rustling behind you as more animals appeared and stood next to the canine defending you, facing off towards the opposing pack.  You felt someone touch your shoulder, and you flinched until you put your blurred eyes on a face that was familiar enough to make out.

“Bam?” The white haired, albino snake held your back as you sat up and he looked at your reddened, dirt speckled eyes.  He lifted your eyelid as he looked at them and instructed you to keep blinking. Your eyes would water, and you could cry out the small specs of dirt until you got back home to wash out your eyes.  

“You really shouldn’t have disobeyed Mark.”  Bam looked at his pack of different animals standing and acting as a wall between you and the attackers.  “He’s seriously pissed.” So that canine was Mark? A coyote, yes it made sense. This was the first time you were seeing him in his animal form, it was so strange.

The two packs just stood, snipping and swiping at each other, interchanging growls and hisses before the attacking pack up and took off, more than a little annoyed that their fun and early morning planned kill had been interrupted. The rest of them all loosened up and soon changed back to their human forms before all turning to you.  They crowded you, checking you for serious injuries.

The worst you had was a scratched up back from your initial fall backwards when you were pinned and maybe a small cut on your knee, but nothing too shock worthy.  When you got to your feet, the boys started escorting you home, and not once did Mark stop to speak to you. He didn’t even look at you. You knew he was angry, and he had every right to be, and he was going to make sure you could feel the tension in the air, so much so it was almost tangible.  

He was silent the entire way back, everyone was, as Jackson supported you on his back.  He had insisted that someone carry you after the attack, so you were practically forced on him. That’s another red flag that Mark was angry.  He was letting someone else carry you. 

You were only put down when Jackson passed the threshold into the large, shared home.  Still, no one spoke and it was more than a little awkward. Someone wanted to speak, but no one knew how to start.  It was like if they ever muttered a small noise the room would erupt into fire. You shifted uncomfortably as you opened your mouth.  You were ready to apologize and maybe that would loosen something in the air.

You sucked in a breath, shaky, and opened your mouth, but were hushed before you even got a sound out of your lips.  A hand was placed over your mouth, cutting you off. It was Mark. He stood beside you, finally looking at you now, but with a harsh glare and not the look he normally gave you of mixed hidden adoration and gentleness.  

“Upstairs.”  Was all he said as he lowered his hand and turned away.  He was telling you to follow him. He was more than likely going to chew you out and lay into your ass into next week for disobeying him and nearly getting yourself killed.  He had every right to do so, as if you had only listened to him none of this would’ve happened. You were just so curious. 

So, with a finally glance around at your pack, them all sending you a worried look, you followed after Mark, staring at his back before he stepped in his room, you after him and slammed the door shut.  Turning to you, ready to unleash all his pent up anger after finding you pinned to the forest floor by some unknown mutt after he specifically told you to stay put.

 


	8. 07

Mark slammed the door shut and without any hesitation whipping around to face you, practically snarling. Fuming in rage, his jaw was locked and he eyes felt like needles could shoot from them and pierce your neck to paralyze you any second.  Paralysis would keep you from disobeying him again at the very least.

“Why the fuck would you leave the house?! I specifically told you not to, and here you are, out in the fucking woods by yourself!” You wanted to feel bad for putting yourself in danger, for angering him, but all you felt was a fire in the pit of your stomach that rose higher and higher into your throat.  Until it spilled out your mouth into an argument.

“Well, excuse me for wanting to go outside!”  You huffed as you flail your arms in violent gestures to express your unsuspecting rage towards his harshness.

“I told you no!  I brought you here to keep you safe, not to disobey me and do what you please!  Stay home, understand?!”

“Home?  Are you serious? This is hardly a home when I can’t leave it.  It’s a stupid prison, keeping me in it, taking away my freedom!”

“I’m keeping you safe-”

“You’re keeping me trapped!  Is this what it felt like being in a lab?” HIs mouth still as he warned you to choose your continuing words wisely.

“Don’t,” he seethed.

“No, answer me.  Being stuck here, unable to go anywhere unauthorized and my limit being away from the door is a mere 20 ft. Not going out, not seeing anything, not doing anything while you 7 fools can do as you damn well please?  Is that how I felt when I was held up in the labs with you?  Is that how you fucking felt Mark?”

“Y/N-”

“Answer me dammit!” He couldn’t.  If he did, his lies would surely unravel at the seams. With his peeked emotions, his filter was running thin.  One false move and the lies he’s carefully built will all crumble at his feet and he could risk actually losing you.  He was dancing to a very fine tune, and he had to turn it around back to his favor.

He finally noticed the amount of space between you two.  You were further away than normal, not with arm’s length like you normally were.  When he would reach out and grab you, swinging you around playfully when you two were alone.  You were distancing yourself from him, but for what?  He stepped closer to you, only for you to mimic his step backwards.

“What are-”

“Don’t come near me.”  But he wanted to be near you, wanted to touch you.  This is the first time you’ve ever refused him.  Actually, thinking about it, this was the first time you disobeyed him and fought back against his words.  Fighting back against the irrefusable scolding you were expecting for leaving in the first place.

This was the first fight between you two.

He hated it.  Every waking second of tension in your face, shoulders and hanging in the air.  He loathed it.  Wanted to wave it away like an annoying bug.  He’d do anything to wipe that angry from off your face.  Or, that’s what he felt like.

He moved quickly, striding forward with large steps to grab your shoulders and pull you ever so slightly forward.  You were brought to your toes by his seizing grip on your arms.

“Let go,” you tried shrugging him off, tried making him let you go.  His grip only tightened.  It felt like his sharpened claws were piercing straight through the fabric of your turtleneck.  He shook his head, eyes boring unmistakably into your own.  You felt your anger almost start to ebb away with his adamant eye contact.  “Mark, I said let go.”

“You can’t give me orders, Y/N.” He growled.  You never saw his animal side show that much, but here is was again.  The second time within just a morning.  His dominant traits as a dominated Alpha coyote, and the oldest of his pack.  But you were his mate.  You could call shots just as much as he could.  Just because he’s a man, doesn’t mean your authority is any peg lower than his.

“As your mate, I think I have just the right amount of power to make you unhand me.”  Mark’s grip loosened ever so slightly.  You’ve never said that aloud before.  Never told him to his face with certain, unshakable declaration that you were his mate.  You were his and a part of him wished you really meant it and didn’t just say it to side track him.  Mates meant a lot to him.  You meant so much more.

“What?”

“I think you heard me.  Now let me go.” You tried shrugging him off again, but none of your efforts were fruitful. Infact, your goal of removing yourself from his grasp were snuffed out when he yanked your body towards him, moving his hands from your arms, only to latch his arms around your shoulders and behind your neck.

“I was scared.”  Your hands that pushed at his chest were halted at his small words.  Muttered into your hair like a child being forced to admit something embarrassing.  “What if I didn’t wake up when I noticed it wasn’t warm where you usually lay beside me? What would’ve happened if I left the house too late?  Got to you too late?  Y/N, you would’ve died and I-”  You somehow managed to move your hands from being trapped between you two to move up to card through his hair.  You knew you shouldn’t break so easily when you both were in the wrong, you for leaving without telling him, and him for trying to control you, but when you forced with him seeming to vunerable, how could you not?

“Mark, listen to me.”  He hummed at you as you started to walk backwards, him following you closely until you felt you sit on the bed. He let you go, only to drop to his knees in front of you and lay his head on your lap, his arms snaking around your waist.  It wasn’t unusual for him to show affection like this to you when it was just the two of you, but the feelings changed since before.  It feels more authentic somehow.

“You can’t hold me up in the house forever,” your fingers carded through his hair again and he wanted to shake his head against your legs. “But, I do understand that what I did was wrong.  I shouldn’t have left without you at the very least.” He knew he couldn’t keep you in forever, but he had hoped that you wouldn’t want to leave the safety of the walls so soon.  He wanted to keep you here just a bit longer.  “I know it’s in your nature to be protective, and although it’s flattering, you can’t be so overbearing it’s smothering me.  You need to let me breath air that’s not in the house.” He tightened his arms around you.  He knew.  He knew it all too well.

“I know, I just-”  He stopped as he sighed.  “I love you, you know?  I’m scared that something will happen and it’s going to be my fault.”  He couldn’t imagine the look on your face as he told you that. He kept his face in your lap, not willing to look at your face. He felt the hands on his head move to rub at the nape of his neck, making him relax.  Your body, that was stiff before, relaxed as well.

“Nothing will happen, and it surely won’t be your fault.  I suppose, if you go with me, I wouldn’t mind. I just can’t stay inside all the time.”  He nodded.  “I’ll let you know next time, when I want to go outside, okay?”  He nodded again as he relished in the silence that followed.  The air wasn’t thick anymore, wasn’t heavy and it was so much easier on his chest.  He could breath and not feel like a brick was sitting on his chest.  He could feel your warmth, he could touch you, and you wouldn’t push him away.  

The fight was over, and he knew you probably had a few things you wished you could say, but he was thankful when you didn’t and just kept your fingers in his hair and on his neck.  He wanted to stay like this, with you, safe.  He didn’t want to lie anymore, he didn’t want to keep the world from you, or you from it, but he had no choice.  There were endless threats to him and to you, and he didn’t know what to do.  

He was nearly asleep again, kneeling on the ground with his head on your legs.  

“I love you too,” you whispered just barely under your breath, but he wasn’t so asleep he didn’t hear it.  He heard it loud and clear as he pushed himself up to sit beside you and drag you back onto the bed with him, making sure to anchor you under his arm as he pushed you into his chest, were you should’ve been all morning. Just for this one moment, he didn’t want to think about all the dangers and threats that could possibly pull you away from him.  Just in this one moment of his stupidly assembled life, he just wanted to pretend he, and everything around him, was normal.


End file.
